dbeard@dominionpost.com
MORGANTOWN – A House bill to give county school boards – and indirectly, superintendents – more hiring and firing power fizzled in the Education Committee Monday afternoon.
Current code says a board, upon the recommendation of the county superintendent, may employ general and special supervisors or directors of instruction and of other educational activities. The period of their employment is at the discretion of the board.
HB 2651 proposed to make those supervisors and directors “at will and pleasure” employees of the board, meaning they could be fired at will.
Several delegates spoke in support of the bill. Delegate Bryan Ward, R-Hardy, said most West Virginia residents are at-will employees, but 21% work for the government. Current law makes it hard to get rid of bad actors.
Government in general and schools in particular shouldn’t be jobs programs, he said.
Delegate Jimmy Willis, R-Brooke, cited an example from his senior year in high school, when a failed superintendent was quickly removed and the new one needed to clean house.
Under current law, he said, “I feel like we’re hamstringing our superintendents.” They can’t get rid of bad actors. The bill would give the superintendent and the board the opportunity to move things along.
One of the delegates who opposed the bill said he spoke to his county superintendent, who said the bill could have the reverse effect: give a board or superintendent the power to get rid of people they don’t like.
And delegate Mike Pushkin, D-Kanawha, said the jobs in the bill aren’t political jobs subject to the whims of the board.
Pushkin called for a roll-call vote instead of the usual committee voice vote.
The committee has three Democrats, who all voted against it along with 11 Republicans, including chair Joe Ellington, R-Mercer. Only 10 members voted for it. The bill failed 10-14.
